NPR美国国家公共电台 NPR 2014-02-12

 A proposal to reverse a cut to military pensions in last December’s budget agreement easily cleared its first procedure hurdle¹ in the senate. As NPR’s Ailsa Chang reports many senate Republicans want to see cuts elsewhere in the budget before they vote to support the final bill. 

 

An issue is a 1% reduction in cost of living adjustment for military retirees under age 62. The current senate proposal reverses that cut but it does not offer any way to make up for the lost savings² which is amount to six billion dollars over 10 years. Republican Roger Wicker of Mississippi let the bill proceed but he says he will withhold³ supports during the final vote if savings are not found elsewhere. 

 

What we need to stay with the six million dollars is budget saves because we have obligation to do something about the debt. 

 

Meanwhile House Republicans are looking to reverse the military pension cut in exchange for increasing the debt ceiling. Ailsa Chang, NPR News, the Capitol.

 

Federal judges in California have given that state another two years to comply with court order to reduce its prison population. As NPR’s Richard Gonzales explains the judges also appointed a compliance⁴ officer to monitor the state progress.

 

The court appointed a compliance officer will held the power to release prisoners early if the state does not meet a timetable for reducing its inmate⁵ population. California currently has more than 117,000 prisoners, houses and facilities designed to fit only 81,000 inmates⁶. The order is a latest in the long-running legal battle over prison conditions. The order also delays in April deadline that would require the state to reduce its population by more than 5,000 prisoners. The judges say California is expected to develop other reforms including a change in sentencing laws to bring down the inmate population. Richard Gonzales, NPR News, San Francisco.

 

Looks like officials in Georgia are taking steps to make sure that what happened in the parts of that state during a winter storm last month. It is not happened when a weather system most do this week. Georgian governor Nathan Deal going ahead of issuing a state of emergency for north Georgia counties even though the storm is unlikely to beat it high until midweek. 

 

We are facing two different waves of bad weather. The first one will come in this evening and it will be followed by a second wave that at this time it appears to be more serious than the first. 

 

Warning issue is well ahead of forecast storm comes on the heels of storm the cold of Atlanta in less than two weeks ago leading the clogged⁷ highways. Drivers stuck overnight in their cars and school buses trapped.

 

AOL will announce a plan to change the way allegiant company 401K matches as it brought about faith. Company CEO Tim Armstrong in a match to employee saying we heard you want this topic. Armstrong was NNNN workers the new plans to payout the NNNN match at end of year in lump sum. He said the raising healthcare costs include what he called the birth of the two “distressed babies”. 

 

On Wall Street small gains started weeks, the DOW was up seven points.

 

This is NPR.

 

Another group of Syrian refugees have been safely evacuated⁸ from the besieged⁹ city of Homs. According to one official with the Syrian Red Crescent, upward of 300 people moved out of the city today from rebel-held neighborhoods. They have been under intense government bombardment. There are evacuations bring around a thousand number of people out the city since the Friday when a truce¹⁰ began in there.

 

The 4th official day of the 2014 Olympic Games have come to a close as NPR’s Sam Sanders reports the medal count is currently in the three-way tie.

 

Canada, the Netherland and Norway at the end of Sochi day four each of these countries set seven Olympic medals. The United States is right behind them with five. Monday was a very good day for Canada. Canadian Alex Bilodeau placed first in man’s moguls, a ski event. The win gives back-to-back Olympic Winter Games gold medals. Canadian Charles Hamelin also won gold in the man’s 500 meters short tracks speed game race. In biathlon, Frenchman Martin Fourcade took first in the 12.5-kilometer pursuit. Biathlon is a combination of skiing and shooting. The US did win one medal Monday. Julia Mancuso took third in Woman’s super-combined alpine¹¹ skiing. On Tuesday, more medals will be handed out. Among them freestyles game, speeds game and luge. Sam Sanders, NPR News, Sochi.

 

When it come a co-operative executives giving back, last year’s winner was Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla. According to Chronicle of Philanthropy which follows co-operative giving, the couple’s donation of 18 million shares of Facebook stock that will be more than 700 million dollars top last year’s list, combine the most 50 generous donors¹² contributed 7.7 billion dollars.

1 hurdle   

n.跳栏，栏架；障碍，困难；vi.进行跨栏赛

参考例句：

• The weather will be the biggest hurdle so I have to be ready.天气将会是最大的障碍，所以我必须要作好准备。
• She clocked 11.6 seconds for the 80 metre hurdle.八十米跳栏赛跑她跑了十一秒六。

2 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

3 withhold   

v.拒绝，不给；使停止，阻挡

参考例句：

• It was unscrupulous of their lawyer to withhold evidence.他们的律师隐瞒证据是不道德的。
• I couldn't withhold giving some loose to my indignation.我忍不住要发泄一点我的愤怒。

4 compliance   

n.顺从；服从；附和；屈从

参考例句：

• I was surprised by his compliance with these terms.我对他竟然依从了这些条件而感到吃惊。
• She gave up the idea in compliance with his desire.她顺从他的愿望而放弃自己的主意。

5 inmate   

n.被收容者；(房屋等的)居住人；住院人

参考例句：

• I am an inmate of that hospital.我住在那家医院。
• The prisoner is his inmate.那个囚犯和他同住一起。

6 inmates   

n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• One of the inmates has escaped. 被收容的人中有一个逃跑了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The inmates were moved to an undisclosed location. 监狱里的囚犯被转移到一个秘密处所。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 clogged   

（使）阻碍( clog的过去式和过去分词 )； 淤滞

参考例句：

• The narrow streets were clogged with traffic. 狭窄的街道上交通堵塞。
• The intake of gasoline was stopped by a clogged fuel line. 汽油的注入由于管道阻塞而停止了。

8 evacuated   

撤退者的

参考例句：

• Police evacuated nearby buildings. 警方已将附近大楼的居民疏散。
• The fireman evacuated the guests from the burning hotel. 消防队员把客人们从燃烧着的旅馆中撤出来。

9 besieged   

包围，围困，围攻( besiege的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Paris was besieged for four months and forced to surrender. 巴黎被围困了四个月后被迫投降。
• The community besieged the newspaper with letters about its recent editorial. 公众纷纷来信对报社新近发表的社论提出诘问，弄得报社应接不暇。

10 truce   

n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束

参考例句：

• The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。
• She had thought of flying out to breathe the fresh air in an interval of truce.她想跑出去呼吸一下休战期间的新鲜空气。

11 alpine   

adj.高山的；n.高山植物

参考例句：

• Alpine flowers are abundant there.那里有很多高山地带的花。
• Its main attractions are alpine lakes and waterfalls .它以高山湖泊和瀑布群为主要特色。

12 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》